Nepal Architectural Tour

Nepal Architectural Tour

Nepal Architectural Tour

Nepal Architectural Tour

DISCOVER HISTORY & ARTS

Nepal is rich for history, arts and culture. Nepal has been always become hub for Buddhism and Hinduism. Because of rich history and cultures, there are many ancients and historical heritages are made. Because of its unique and rare features, Nepal has ten sites which have been registered as world heritage sites. Even the small mountain kingdom of Nepal is blessed with such astonishing and unique sites that within the area of 140,800 sq km Nepal holds a considerably high number of places recognized by UNESCO (United Nations Educational Scientific Cultural Organization) as World Heritage Sites. There are altogether ten World Heritage Sites in Nepal, seven of which are in Kathmandu itself.

Kathmandu holds at least 130 important monuments, including several pilgrimage sites for Hindus and Buddhists. Nepal is also well-known for Gurkha’s during Second World War, discovery of Buddhist and several holy places for Hinduism.

Here is some architectural facts of Nepal:

The Pagoda Style: This style refers to multi-roofed structures with wide eaves supported by carved wooden struts. Windows, either latticed or grilled, are usually projecting, while the roof is generally topped off by triangular spires enclosing an inverted bell of stucco or burnished gold. The pagoda style shows the finest specimens of the architectural genius of Nepal. The style was later adopted in China and from there spread to other Asian countries. For this, the tribute goes to a young architect-sculptor-painter named Balbahu, (or Ar-ni-ko as the Chinese call him), who led a delegation of eighty Nepalese artists to Tibet during the late 13th century at the invitation of the Chinese Emperor Kublai Khan. The best example of the pagoda style in the Katmandu Valley is Kasthamandap a wooden pagoda built in the Malla period; this is also the structure from which the capital city is derived. The nine-storied Basantpur Palace built by King Prithvi Narayan Shah is another outstanding pagoda specimen. The Pashupati, Taleju and Changu Narayan temples are also notable examples.

The Stupa Style: The Swayambhu and Baudhanath Shrines are Nepal's first examples of stupa or Chaitya style. This style is purely Buddhist in concept and execution. The outstanding feature of stupas is a hemispherical mound topped by a square base supporting a seried of thirteen circular rings. Narrowing towards the top these are crowned by parasol. The four sides of the square base or the harmika, as it is called, are painted with pairs of mystic "all-seeing eyes.The stupas in Patan, said to have been built by King Ashoka, are considered to be the most ancient stupas of Nepal.

The Shikhara style: The Shikhara style forms yet another architectural design found in Nepal. The super-structure of this style is a tall curvilinear or pyramidal tower whose surface is broken up vertically into five or nine sections. The final section consists of a bell-shaped part at the top. The Krishna temple in Patan, consecrated by Kind Siddhi Narasingh Malla is the finest specimen of the relatively less popular Shikhara style.

Please find some trips at right side bar that escorts you to the architectural sites of Nepal.